Weary Warriors

Now with the economy, there are other perils that wear down our staffs. Probably every state has at least one municipal entity under financial distress. Cops getting laid off. Vacancies not filled due to budget shortfalls. Police budgets shrink, training gets cut. Defined benefits and pensions are hacked. Sound familiar? I ask you, have you looked into the eyes of a young officer that is about to get laid off? If you have, then you will understand. The officer with a few years left to retirement and the pension is getting peeled back, again more issues. Today’s police leader must be the defender and the guardian of its staff. Several of my chief colleagues have admitted that they have sent more officers to employee assistance programs recently than they have in their entire career. Now, this is a good thing for we are getting help for the good guys and girls. Today’s supervisors can no longer tell an officer to ‘suck it up’ like they had to. I feel that today’s stressors and pressures are far more cumulative than the past. If you are a boss, you must educate yourself on the various methods to get support for your staff, you owe it to them and yourself. I still seek answers for the officers that have taken their own lives and what could have been done to have saved them from their demise. Today we have the best and brightest coppers, let’s invest in them for everyone’s future.

About The Author:

William L. "Bill" Harvey is a native Virginian. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. He has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department. He served in field operations, investigations and support services, and completed his career there as the director of training. He has published several articles in professional periodicals and has lectured nationwide. He is serving as a chief of police in central Pennsylvania area; a duty he’s performed for the past nine years. He is on the advisory board of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association and other professional associations.